Axum

Axum

Heart of an Ancient Civilization

This town in the north of the country, is famous for its giant stelae erected by one of the first civilizations known to man, the Sabians, who reigned in the 10th century BC., and which flourished until the 7th century AD.

A visit to the field of giant stelae in the center of Axum is absolutely incredible! Some stelae are more than 30 meters tall. It is so ancient that we know next to nothing about the civilization that lived here, and the mystical symbols engraved on these tombs have kept their secrets. They refer to Sabian pagan myths celebrating the sun and the moon which existed in the 10th century BC. The first Ethiopian civilization was born from the union of the Queen of Sheba with Salomon, the king of Judah which led to the birth of the future king Menelik the First.

Axum is also the site of the first church in black African, the St Mary of Zion Church, which is to house the most fabled biblical relic in history-the Ark of the Covenant. Which are only a few guardians are ever allowed to gaze on it. Just out of the town there are the remnants of the queen of Sheba’s palace, a tremendously atmospheric site that enables you once again to appreciate the power and the glory of this old kingdom.